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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — in golf
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com